What is a mental health counselor

Paper details:

Must incorporate chapter 1 of Gerig “foundations of a clinical mental health counseling” Historically, the term “counselor” has often been widely used and frequently misunderstood. As such, helpful definition of what it means to be a counselor is necessary, especially for a field that is considered “young” among the mental health and people helping professions.

Unifying the profession of mental health counseling, as a whole, while solidifying an agreed upon, working definition of what it means to be a mental health counselor has been a developmental process. Students will differentiate the multiple professional settings, roles, and functions of clinical mental health counselors across specialty areas and identify strategies to interface with human service systems, the legal system (for court-referred clients) and integrated behavioral health care systems and personnel, including interagency and inter-organizational collaboration and consultation.

Students will explore the varying practices and will define clinical mental health counseling. Students will reflect on their own understanding of mental health counseling and will begin to establish a personal orientation to counseling that is consistent with their worldview.